Years later, authorities were on watch for shoplifter
In 2014, a young Christchurch woman took the police’s diversion scheme too literally, and diverted herself to Australia.
When Louarna Irene Matenga came back to New Zealand this week to attend a funeral she found herself diverted again – straight into the police cells.
Now she has to sort out two charges of theft of make-up worth $340 before she can fly home, and the police and the courts are not likely to make that a straightforward or speedy process.
Christchurch District Court Judge Tony Couch said at her court appearance yesterday: “I don’t think this defendant is in a position to ask the court to do something for her convenience when she has skipped the country for three years.”
Defence counsel Andrew McKenzie told the court that after the woman, then aged 20, was arrested on two shoplifting charges on different days, she admitted the offending and entered into a diversion contract with the police.
That scheme allows first time offenders to avoid having a criminal conviction if they admit the charge and agree to make amends.
The make-up was presumably recovered undamaged and returned to the stores, because Matenga was not required to pay any reparations under the agreement.
But she did agree to do 20 hours of community work for the Salvation Army.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Grant Neal said she had then left for Australia, knowing that she had the diversion contract over her and without doing the community work.
“Diversion is not an option any more, and she needs to face the charges,” he told Judge Couch.
Mr McKenzie asked the judge to remand her on bail to next Wednesday, to give her time to convince the police that she can still be allowed diversion. In the meantime, she has been bailed to her grandfather’s house in Aranui and will be visiting people in Dunedin. She plans to leave New Zealand within a fortnight.
Judge Couch warned her not to try to leave the country before the case was dealt with. He said she would be placed on the Immigration Department’s watch list.
He told Matenga, as she stood in the dock: “You better understand that if you try to leave New Zealand before next Wednesday, you will just get arrested and end up back where you are now.”
Category: News
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